Saturday, April 25, 2015

Subway Series Game 1: Winter is coming

The good news is that Squawker Lisa was able to score us some decent seats just hours before the game. As far as I'm concerned, that's pretty much where the good news ends. By the third inning, it was 6-0 Yankees, and since we were sitting in the 200 level toward the right field corner, we had a good view of all the Yankee homers sailing over the short right field porch. And the weather was even colder than the Mets' bats against Michael Pineda.

Lisa is a big fan of the Christmas special featuring Heat Miser and Cold Miser, and while I was feeling like a cold miser, shivering in my seat and grumbling at the $10 the vendor was asking for hot chocolate, heat miser Lisa was glowing as the Yankees stomped on the previously hot Mets. "Some Rookie of the Year, " Lisa smirked about Jacob deGrom.

But Lisa never pointed out how much better the Yankees' 26-year-old rising star Pineda was doing than the Mets' 26-year-old rising star deGrom. To do so would mean she would have to give Brian Cashman credit for making a good trade when he sent Jesus Montero to the Mariners for Pineda. For Lisa, acknowledging a good move by the man she calls Fredo would be like the Yankees acknowledging a milestone by A-Rod.

The Yankees did, however, see fit to again acknowledge Mark Teixeira's 350th homer from last May, complete with John Sterling's call, in which he happily goes through all of his little sayings for Teixeira before Suzyn Waldman interrupts his reverie with actual news about Teixeira's milestone.

Yankee fans frustrated at their inability to purchase memorabilia for A-Rod's upcoming 660th homer can take solace in the fact there were frequent ads at the stadium last night for something called the "Derek Jeter Dirt Capsule." It turns out that this is a "game-used dirt capsule" from Derek Jeter's last game at Yankee Stadium. That implies to me that it was the capsule that was used in the game and not the dirt, but who cares about grammar when it's only $9.99 - cheaper than Yankee Stadium hot chocolate!

Bernie Williams threw out the first pitch last night in honor of the fact that he finally officially retired. (At age 46, he probably figured that he could at least DH for the current Yankee team.) Seeing Williams reminded me again at how ridiculous it is that Jorge Posada is part of the "Core Four" and not Williams. During the Yankees' 1996-2000 dynasty, Williams had a WAR of 25.3, while Posada's was 9.8 (numbers from Baseball Reference). For their careers, Williams outdid Posada, 49.4-42.7.

I can only assume that Williams had a clause in his contract awarding him $6 million if the Yankees acknowledge that he belongs in the Core Four.

The Yankees had a lot of dumb ads on the big video screen in which members of the team attempted to be humorous. Even Brian Cashman tried to get into the act. What's next - some standup from Randy Levine and Lonn Trost?

One of the ads featured Didi Gregorius trying to teach his teammates to say "inside out" in Dutch. Not sure why that phrase was chosen, unless the Yankees were trying to claim that Gregorius' .204 batting average was somehow "inside out." Looks like Sir Didi won't be getting his dirt capsule anytime soon.

At least we got to see the major-league debut of Mets pitcher Hansel Robles. His name sounds like character out of "Game of Thrones." (Arya, when you meet a man named Hansel Robles, show him this coin and say, "Nieuwenhuis.")

Unfortunately, winter returned for the Mets last night. Today, it's time for Matt Harvey to bring back the sunshine.

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Lisa is a Yankee fan from Staten Island. Jon is a Met fan from Manhattan. These best friends have been squabbling about their teams -- and each other -- since 2006. Now they are writing about New York City life beyond baseball.